« Atlantic Yards Report Digest: Saturday Edition | Main | Murakami at the Brooklyn Museum (NY Times Video) »
April 6, 2008
Gehry: Ratner Has Big Mouth. Ratner: Museum Award for His "Socially Responsible" Developments
Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn
This commentary points out the contradiction in statements from The Brooklyn Museum of Art. On one hand, the museum tells the The Brooklyn Paper that the honor given Ratner is purely for his support of the arts. However, when the honor is bestowed, it wants the honor to to be based on Ratner's supposedly socially responsible real estate development.
In defending itself against public rebuke and criticism of its decision to bestow this honor on Atlantic Yards proposer Bruce Ratner while the community fight against his planned project is ongoing. The Museum's spokeswoman Sally Williams explained things a few weeks ago to The Brooklyn Paper:
Museum spokeswoman Sally Williams said the honor stemmed from Ratner’s “contribution to arts and culture in Brooklyn and to the museum” and his “generous support of various activities of the Brooklyn Museum.”
Williams declined to provide specific numbers and said the museum’s selection of Ratner did not indicate its support for Atlantic Yards, the 16-skyscraper mega-development that has divided Brooklyn along class, race and socio-economic lines for more than four years.
She added that the museum’s selection of Ratner did not indicate its support (or lack thereof) for Atlantic Yards...
“One thing has nothing to do with the other,” she said.
Last week she told The Brooklyn Paper:
“Bruce C. Ratner is being honored … in recognition of his longstanding support of this museum."
But, according to The Brooklyn Paper, at last night's gala when Bruce Ratner accepted his award, he seemed to think he was being honored for his work as a developer, which would include being the eminent domain abusing, proposer of the Atlantic Yards—a national poster child for bad planning and bad process:
...In his acceptance speech hours later, Ratner did not mention Atlantic Yards, but merely said that he was honored to accept an award that “represents the essence” of what he does as a developer, namely, building with “a social purpose and responsibility.”
Posted by steve at April 6, 2008 8:30 AM